Vegan German Potato Salad

I clearly remember the first time I ever made potato salad. I was in grad school far away from home, in a land called “Illinois,” where I was invited to a potluck picnic and asked to make potato salad. I loved potato salad but had never made it before, so I did what any self-respecting college student would do and called my mother for her recipe. I don’t remember anything about the picnic except arriving with my covered dish and telling everyone it was potato salad. “Is it German potato salad?” a hopeful voice asked. German? I didn’t even know what that was. “No, it’s Southern potato salad,” I stammered. No one seemed particularly impressed.

Of course, after the picnic I had to find out what German potato salad was. I asked my date, who said it had bacon and vinegar in it, no mayo, and I found a recipe in my ancient copy of The Joy of Cooking that I modified and enjoyed until I became vegetarian a few years later and started making it with vegetarian bacon and olive oil. After I became vegan, I made it off and on for special occasions, with less and less oil, until I got to the point that my family liked it just as much without oil and “bacon” as long as I included a drop of Liquid Smoke or smoked salt for the smokey flavor.

Now, I often whip up my oil-free version to accompany “crab” cakes that I make myself or buy from the deli of the local natural foods store and my Basic Low-Fat Coleslaw. I always make it to taste, adding vinegar, mustard, pepper, and smoked salt until I get it right, and I’ve never bothered to write it down because it seemed so simple. But just in case there’s someone else out there who doesn’t know how to make German potato salad–in this case oil-free vegan German potato salad–here’s how I do it.

I like this salad very vinegary, so I always start off with about 1/4 cup of vinegar and add more to taste. Normally I use red onions but I was out and had to substitute green ones when I took these photos, and they were less sweet and pungent but more summery, which was nice for a change. The magic ingredient is, of course, the hickory smoked salt, which I buy at The Spice House (with whom I have no affiliation, darn it. I’d be happy to be paid in spices.) It has a very concentrated smoke flavor, so it just takes a little and doesn’t increase the saltiness or sodium content much. If you can’t find it and don’t mind using Liquid Smoke, just add a few drops to the dressing before you pour it over the potatoes. Too much and it’s like licking a fireplace, but with just a touch, a simple potato salad is tranformed from ordinary to sublime.

Though the smoked salt gives this potato salad a somewhat bacony flavor, crumbled tempeh bacon, if you happen to have it, is a great addition.

Author: Susan Voisin, FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Serves: 5

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons vegetable broth

1 teaspoon creole or other whole grain mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

generous grating of black pepper

1/16 teaspoon hickory smoked salt or other smoked salt

1/3 cup sliced green onions or chopped red onions

Instructions

Wash the potatoes well and if they are large, cut them into halves or quarters; try to keep your pieces about the same size so they cook at the same speed. Bring a pot of water to boil, add the potatoes, and cook until they are tender when pierced with a fork. The time will depend on the size of the potatoes (my large, cut in half potatoes took about 25 minutes).

Drain the water from the potatoes in a colander and rinse them with cold water to cool them down enough to handle. If you want, you can peel them (I didn’t). Chop them into bite-sized cubes and place in a large bowl.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients except the onions in a small bowl. Pour over the potatoes and mix well. Stir in the onions. Check flavor and add more vinegar, salt, pepper, or smoked salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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You are thinking about it inaccurately. Referencing bacon is not about wanting meat, it’s about flavors and textures. Just because vegans/vegetarians don’t eat meat does not meant they didn’t like the taste of it. There are ways to recreate that without any meat at all. Referring to meat is necessary because it’s what most people are familiar with. Enjoying something that tastes smoky, sweet, and salty–like bacon– in no way means there is a desire to eat meat or that meat is needed/missed.

Would you rather her use the phrase “small, firm, chewy, crispy, savory, salty, smoky strips”?

Are you similarly upset by the phrase “veggie burger” or “bean burger”? If she were to use those terms instead of saying “single serve round flattened solid savory bean patty”, would you consider that a sign that -oh dear- a decades-long vegan is secretly “craving” meat burgers?

Wow, Susan, I am SO making this!! Easy and tasty, and I’ll make a version with fresh dill stirred in since there is a small field of it growing in the old garden. Growing up with Italian Potato Salad that has no mayo, I think this will be a delightful version–and easy to make while we move!! (might even be good with sweet potato mixed in). Woohoo! 🙂

It’s funny, I also don’t know what a German potato salad is and I am German. This version is very popular in the South of Germany, so you were totally right about calling it a Southern potato salad. I never thought I’d like the Southern German salad, since I am used to the version that is made with tons of mayo and which is popular in the North. But I was wrong. Your version looks really great and since I just bought a new bottle of liquid smoke I am definitely going to try it!

I pulled up your site today to search for good picnic recipes. Didn’t even have to search – the perfect dish was right there on the front page! This looks great and I will definitely be introducing it to my non-veg friends at our 4th of July festivities. Thank you!

I just found your website after Googling what ‘nutritional yeast’ is, and I’m delighted to have found the answer, as well as so many delicious recipes! I am not vegan, yet, but my lifestyle is slowly leading me that way… So as a complete newbie to vegan eating, do you have a list of store cupboard staples that you’d recommend?

It looks like the ‘nooch’ would be on that list, but a lot of your recipes include things I’ve never seen (although admittedly haven’t looked for), so knowing which ones you consider would be really helpful.

Maybe it’s not a straightforward question to ask, but any advice on vegan-specifc core ingredients would be great!

Hello Miss Susan.. I’m so happy I’ve found your blog.. This potato salad seems so irresistible and so healthy, I’ve never had this vegan German potato salad and I guess it’s time to try it.. Thanks a lot for the share.. xx

I can’t tell you how excited we were to have potato salad restored to our list of low-fat options. This salad was amazingly easy to put together and not only was it delicious as written, the portions we were disciplined enough to stash for the next day were even better.

I so enjoy your website and blog and recipes and stories and recipes and …… did I mention I like your recipes? I am just three years into being low-fat, fatfree vegan cooking. I am so totally burned out right now trying to stay vegan. I am the only one in my family of five that eats this way and I get frustrated lately having to cook two meals for each meal we have. Vegan recipes are often geared for 4 or more servings and I admittedly waste a lot of lovely produce that no one seems to eat. Any advice in getting myself excited and geared back up to cooking the way I should?

Just made this and I am in love! I will make it again for a 4th of July weekend picnic with non-veg, oil-loving friends and I’m sure it will knock their socks off. Thank you so much for posting it, easy or not. 🙂

I’m glad you specified Creole mustard. I’d never had it before, but saw it at the store when shopping for other ingredients for this so figured why not? I now have a new favorite mustard!

Wow, I am amazed by this recipe. It is about one year since I have eaten something very simillar at the Distillery District from one local restaurant run by German immigrants. The only difference was that they put some pickels and baby carrots into it and mixed it with mayonnaise. It was great!

I just finished this and it is good! I did not have broth on hand and did not want to open up another carton as I already have 2 in the freezer- so I used 1T of white miso and 3T of warm water and mixed it up. I also added 1/2 tsp of oil to sort of carry the liquid smoke I used because I did not have the smoked salt. I dusted the cooked potatoes with smoked paprika and I also used a pinch of Jamaican allspice. It was terrific!. I might try it with red potatoes….oh and I added another tsp of mustard- but yes I did follow it …mostly! As for the comment about missing meat flavors I would say I find it funny since meat needs flavorings more than plant foods and as Isa C. says it is good to get your char on. We can have those flavors that are so good but are not really part of meat anyway. IMO – of course. Anyway Thank you Susan another keeper!

Thank you for the inspiration to convert my German Grandmother’s potato salad. A few things I did different is I substituted the red wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar. I then poured some extra bouillon in a cast iron skillet and sautéed the onions in it with a touch of liquid smoke to mimic when she’d use the bacon fat.

This is now a staple in my family. Even the non-vegan members think this is the best potato salad ever. I make 2 five-pound batches a week for our family of six. Added bonus: no risk of the mayo going bad at a party! I don’t even tell people it’s vegan. I just tell them it’s great!

I can only eat sweet potato being on a poleo diet I don’t think i am allowed to have flower as well Would you have any reciepes that don’t have these in them or could you just use sweetpotato in the potatoe recipe instead?

This is the very BEST potato salad ever!!! My husband is on a “potato only” diet ad he has eaten this salad and only this salad for 9 days now. He noted how much weight Spud Fit has lost in 8 months eating only potatoes. I even asked Spud Fit if he ate anything but potatoes, eg greens, and he said no…just potatoes. So I made this salad for him and he LOVES is (as do I). So I make this 3 times a day now and he eats it and is losing weight. We don’t know how much yet because he doesn’t want to weigh, but he’s noted that his pants are much looser. So, many, many thanks for an award winning recipe for the best potato salad in the entire world!!

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